In Times of Turmoil, Sports Revive Detroit

As any Michigan resident knows, the City of Detroit is a frequent headliner, more often than not for negative reasons. For many years, Detroit has had the dishonor of being consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Also, the federal bailout of both General Motors and Chrysler has added more negativity to the city, as these companies were the pride of Detroit. With what seems like a broken city, the recent success of Detroit’s sports teams has been a reason for residents and fans to smile.

Certainly the pride of Detroit for the last two decades, the Detroit Red Wings have made an important impact on the city. A team that has made the playoffs for the last 20 years (25 out of the last 27), the Red Wings certainly have the following in Detroit that the team desires. Adding to the recent success was the Red Wings recently breaking the record for the longest home winning streak in NHL History. On February 23^rd, the Wings lost their first home game since November 3^rd, falling to the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout. The winning streak lasted for 23 straight home games over almost 4 months. With constant sell – outs and playoff appearances, millions of dollars are pumped into Detroit’s economy every season, and it seems that the success is not going to stop anytime soon. The fact that the Red Wings have also won 4 Stanley Cups in the last 15 years is just icing on the cake for the best team in the NHL. The somewhat outdated Joe Louis Arena has been involved in potential renovation plans, however it seems that the city may be leaning towards a new arena, to host both the Red Wings and the Pistons, to bring all of the teams back to Detroit.

Three years after the worst season in American League history, the Detroit Tigers won the 2006 AL Pennant and advanced to the World Series for the first time in 22 years. Although they fell to the St. Louis Cardinals, the successful season sparked a fire of excitement that the Tigers haven’t seen from Detroit fans in decades. The consistency of the team nowadays, provides the city with constant sell outs, as well as millions of dollars being pumped into the Detroit economy. After last season’s playoff run and the exciting signing of Prince Fielder, Comerica Park should be at full capacity at every game, as well as Downtown Detroit.

In 2008, the Detroit Lions were the first team in NFL history to have an 0 – 16 season. In 2011, the lions went 10 – 6, and made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. It was the Lions’ first winning season since 2000 and first 10 win season since 1995. The Lions’ 5–0 start was their best since 1956. The emergence of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson as elite players have brought a whole new excitement to the Lions. Although they were eliminated from the playoffs in the opening round, the Lions have shown that they are going to compete, probably as long as the Stafford/Johnson combo stays in Detroit. With Detroit hosting Super Bowl XL and the recent success of the team, money is going to be flowing into the city of Detroit, as all three teams in the city are going to be championship contenders in years to come.

With all of the recent success of Detroit’s teams, its hard to imagine Detroit as the city of crime and poverty that it’s stereotyped as by outsiders. The success has brought more people into the city, all three teams are relevant and that means more publicity. In 2012 and future years, the Red Wings, Tigers and Lions are all going to be championship contenders. What other city can compare? Detroit’s crime rates have gone down in recent years, and the economy looks like it may be on its way back up. With the good, comes the bad and vise versa. Hopefully our period of pride and hope in Detroit can last as long as possible and we can continue to be brought together by the success and our love for not just sports, but all of Detroit.